WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, May 23, 2018.

Zarif slams Pompeo

Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the United States has become hostage to pressure groups. Zarif’s comment was in response to the latest anti-Iran remarks made by US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. The top Iranian diplomat dismissed Pompeo’s comments as untrue and based on old illusions. The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces has also slammed Pompeo’s remarks. Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri says Iran will never seek permission from anyone to develop its defense capabilities. On Monday, Pompeo said the US will impose painful sanctions on Iran if Tehran does not limit its missile program. A day later, he expressed confidence that the US can develop a common approach with Europeans on Iran.

Lebanon new parliament

Lebanon’s new parliament is set to convene for its first session after the May six vote. High on the agenda is to elect a speaker. Veteran politician Nabih Berri is widely expected to regain the post he has been holding for 26 years. The 80-year-old Berri is the head of the Shia Amal Movement and a close ally of Hezbollah. The resistance movement and parties that support it now have the upper hand at the legislative chamber with 70 of the parliament's 128 seats. Once the speaker is picked, lawmakers will name a new prime minister. Saad al-Hariri is highly expected to get the post again. His party has lost more than a third of its power and has just 20 seats. That means Hariri faces a hard task to form a coalition government.

US arms exports

The administration of US President Donald Trump is reportedly pushing Congress to increase the exports of US made weapons to the Middle East. Reports say administration and congressional sources have confirmed the existence of an ongoing informal 40-day review of the arms sale. It would deal with the transaction of 120,000 precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. There are no reports of the likely value of the sales. Key members of Congress have in the past objected to similar deals, delaying their reviews for months. Last year, Trump’s administration approved to sell nearly 7 billiondollars’ worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia. The deal raised concerns from some members of Congress over American weapons being used in the Saudi-led bombing campaign on Yemen. Over 14,300 Yemenis, mostly civilians, have been killed in the war.

Syria-Iran ties

The Syrian deputy foreign minister says the withdrawal of Iranian or Hezbollah forces from the country is not up for discussion. Faisal Mekdad stressed that it is the Syrian government that can decide whether Iran’s advisory forces should leave or stay in Syria. He noted that Iran and Hezbollah not only play their roles to preserve the Syrian sovereignty but they oppose terrorism. Reacting to Russia’s call on foreign forces to withdraw from Syria, Mekdad stressed that Moscow wants the US and Turkish forces to pull out of the Arab country as their presence is illegitimate. Iran has been offering military advisory support to Syria in its battle against different terrorist groups, including Daesh and Nusra Front. The Islamic Republic's advisors entered Syria at the request of the Syrian government.

France warns US

France has warned the United States that its new polices on Iran would fuel instability in the Middle East. Jean-Yves Le Drian also said the deal is not dead as other signatories to the agreement are still part of it. He made the comments after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said the US will place Iran under unprecedented financial pressure. The threat came after Washington withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group, triggering outcry from its European partners.

Iraqi official against US presence

Press TV has conducted an exclusive interview with Diyaa Assadi, who is a senior advisor to Iraqi cleric, Seyyed Muqtada al-Sadr. Assadi touched on a wide range of issues including, the recently-held elections in Iraq, relations with Iran and the presence of US troops in the war-battered country. The Sa'iroun alliance led by Sadr was on the top with 54 parliamentary seats. Sadr's own movement forms the backbone of the alliance, but Sadr cannot become prime minister, as he did not run for parliament. The Conquest Alliance, under former commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces Hadi al-Ameri, came second with 47 seats. The Victory Alliance, headed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, took the third place with 42 seats.

UN criticizes Israel

The United Nations has once again criticized Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, saying the illegal construction continues. UN Middle East Coordinator, Nikolay Mladenov said people are being displaced due to the continued Israeli demolitions. He said dozens of Palestinian homes and structures have been destroyed in the occupied West Bank. Mladenov also called for a unified approach to change the situation in Gaza, which has been under over a decade of Israeli blockade. Meanwhile, the UN has expressed support for Egypt’s step to open the Rafah border crossing during the holy month of Ramadan. The crossing is Gaza's only gateway to the outside world not controlled by Israel. Last week, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made a rare decision to open the crossing with Gaza for a month.

Opposing Macron reforms

French rail workers have voted against the government’s planned reform for state-owned SNCF Rail Company. In a vote held by labor unions, the 95 percent of railway staff rejected President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed overhaul. However, the rail company, which is struggling with over 55 billion dollars in debt, says the vote has no legal value. The move comes a day after an anti-government protest in the capital, Paris turned violent. France has been witnessing a series of anti-reform protests and strikes over the past three months. The workers have planned two days of walkout and protests every five days until the end of June. The French parliament will vote on Macron’s reform proposals on the fifth of June.